Niese’s numbers against Philly haven’t been too shabby – 5-0 with a 2.24 ERA while each of his last eight starts against the Phillies have ended in Mets wins. He’s also riding a hot-hand into the matchup with a 3-1 record and a 1.50 ERA in his past five home matchups.

One guy receiving a bump in the lineup is rookie Michael Conforto. The youngster will take his .458 batting average during his last nine games and use it from the No. 5 slot in the lineup.

“I feel a little bit more comfortable,” Conforto told MLB’s official website. “I just had to go back to working hard, getting into the cage and working on some things, take a step back and … go back to the drawing board and figure it out. But I do feel comfortable.”

Other news and notes surrounding the club deal mostly with Steven Matz. The rookie lefty who sparkled in his only two MLB starts is now officially back on the big league roster. He dominated during his last rehab start for Double-A Binghamton.